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Challenges in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management: A Profitability Assessment in Three European Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Idiano D’Adamo

    (Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L’Aquila, Via G. Gronchi 18, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy)

  • Paolo Rosa

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy)

  • Sergio Terzi

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy)

Abstract

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is known as an important source of secondary raw materials. Since decades, its treatment allowed to recover great amounts of basic resources. However, the management of electronic components embedded in WEEE still presents many challenges. The purpose of the paper is to cope with some of these challenges through the definition of an economic model able to identify the presence of profitability within the recovery process of waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs). To this aim, a set of common economic indexes is used within the paper. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis on a set of critical variables is conducted to evaluate their impact on the results. Finally, the combination of predicted WEEE volumes (collected during the 2015–2030 period) in three European countries (Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) and related economic indexes quantify the potential advantage coming from the recovery of this kind of waste in the next future.

Suggested Citation

  • Idiano D’Adamo & Paolo Rosa & Sergio Terzi, 2016. "Challenges in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Management: A Profitability Assessment in Three European Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:7:p:633-:d:73358
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. Chia-Nan Wang & Xuan-Tho Nguyen & Yen-Hui Wang, 2016. "Automobile Industry Strategic Alliance Partner Selection: The Application of a Hybrid DEA and Grey Theory Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-18, February.
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    Cited by:

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    5. Patrizia Ghisellini & Ivana Quinto & Renato Passaro & Sergio Ulgiati, 2023. "Circular Economy Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Italian Urban Systems: Comparison and Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-26, June.
    6. Mohd Helmi Ali & Suhaiza Zailani & Mohammad Iranmanesh & Behzad Foroughi, 2019. "Impacts of Environmental Factors on Waste, Energy, and Resource Management and Sustainable Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, April.
    7. Ksenija Denčić-Mihajlov & Mladen Krstić & Dejan Spasić, 2020. "Sensitivity Analysis as a Tool in Environmental Policy for Sustainability: The Case of Waste Recycling Projects in the Republic of Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-19, September.
    8. Hilal Shams & Altaf Hossain Molla & Mohd Nizam Ab Rahman & Hawa Hishamuddin & Zambri Harun & Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar, 2023. "Exploring Industry-Specific Research Themes on E-Waste: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-22, August.
    9. Sigrid Kusch & Colin D. Hills, 2017. "The Link between e-Waste and GDP—New Insights from Data from the Pan-European Region," Resources, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-10, March.
    10. Idiano D’Adamo & Paolo Rosa, 2019. "A Structured Literature Review on Obsolete Electric Vehicles Management Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-17, December.
    11. Francesco Ferella & Idiano D’Adamo & Simona Leone & Valentina Innocenzi & Ida De Michelis & Francesco Vegliò, 2018. "Spent FCC E-Cat: Towards a Circular Approach in the Oil Refining Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, December.
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    13. Zeynep Ozsut Bogar & Askiner Gungor, 2023. "Forecasting Waste Mobile Phone (WMP) Quantity and Evaluating the Potential Contribution to the Circular Economy: A Case Study of Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-38, February.

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